- Excellent weather and very good snow conditions for carving/extremecarving
(the best in the season until now, because it had snowed all the time in January)
- More than 50 participants (from Switzerland, France, Germany, Spain, Finland, Norway and even Turkey!)
- 24 demo boards that have been all used
- Nice people, and good moments spent on the slopes or in the evenings
- It was really impressive to see many carvers progressing a lot from the first day to the third day: carving lower and lower, with more and more stability and fluidity
- ... (add your comments)

Unfortunately, those demo boards will stay with us as demo boards, because we need them quite often, and selling one means making a new board at full production cost for demo purpose which is very costly.
Sorry bout this!

Jacques, Nils, Patrice let me greatly thank U 4 this learnfull WE. U gave me the right advices. I had never dared going that fast on a slope like "Barthelemy" before. When I stood on top of it 4 the first time, I just felt like

At that point I think it's just a matter of confidence in the unexpected possibilities the sword offers. I think it's safety qualities saved my ass quite a few times. Now I know what U meant day after day through all the pages of the EC forum and I shall not fear carving in the deapest slope anymore.

It was a harsh change from the slopes with all the kind carvers back to the office today at 8am. I think the term back at work is not really correct, it's more dreaming at work ). I WANT TO GO BACK TO ZINAL!!! Where and when will the next ECS be? Maybe we can meet in two weeks somewhere?!? Thanks to all for this great experience!

Jaques, Patrice, Nils
and all the other participants of the EC 04 session in Zinal. Thanks for a wonderful time there. The people, slopes, snow conditions, and weather were marvellous. Besides this, seeing what steep slopes really are and how the EC is done in practice together with the instructions, it could not have been better. It gave me a lot of impulses for practicing at home and a strong desire to come back.
So thanks to all. Hope to see you next year, if not before.

jeanma wrote:Jacques, Nils, Patrice let me greatly thank U 4 this learnfull WE. U gave me the right advices. I had never dared going that fast on a slope like "Barthelemy" before. When I stood on top of it 4 the first time, I just felt like

At that point I think it's just a matter of confidence in the unexpected possibilities the sword offers. I think it's safety qualities saved my ass quite a few times. Now I know what U meant day after day through all the pages of the EC forum and I shall not fear carving in the deapest slope anymore.

XXX

Hi, Jeanma
A pitty I couldn't make it to this excellent EC'04 at Zinal. May be next year I can join the club. But what were the tips you got that makes you a better carver than before? Just a question from a beginning SWOARD carver who has also a lot to learn.

We, the spaniards, also back home with the smile in our face for such a great experience in terms of travel, friendship and extremecarving at its best.
This weekend has been for me a point of inflexion in the way I practice the sport. The possibilities have reduced if I am to lay frontside and backside in every single turn. It,s going to be hard to find the right place and snow on a daily basis. Zinal resort was perfect.
But, what it,s clear is that achieving the backside has become a real challenge for me. In this three days I don´t think there was a turn in which I didn,t try to lay down. So desperetaly I tried at the end of the last day that I run some risks and at the same time became aware of how perfect the quality of snow must be when lying down.
Do the swoard helps? I still have to go back to my board and confirm the qualities of that board. Being riding with the bests makes you better with or without swoard, that is clear. It was very helpful that we could test different boards in size and stifness, as well as your tipps in riding and also in tunning the board.

Translating Edu,s words he is now even more firmly convinced of the superiority in terms of style and armony of the Swiss Carving School. He wil be tomorrow in Masella Ski resorts showing his terrific long backside and making skiers and snowboarders go Next week he promisses to start English lesson one.

Still many things to say, but prefer to leave them for next days. Still have to send you some pictures.

Thanks Patrice, Jackes and Nils and all the others and see you next year.

Hell!
I'm mad now. I wanna go, too
I think that reading these posts just convinced me that summertime is for crying 'cos all that water could of been snow
Now, gentlemen, it's up to you to come to my funeral when I announce to my "ball 'n chain" at home that there ain' no chance in hell we be spending $$ on seaside this summer - we're going to the next ECS instead . That is, I AM going
Remember me sometimes, when I'm cold (with an axe in my forehead)...

Hehe, we were very lucky with the weather and snow conditions. Indeed I see that for the next week-end the weather forecast is as bad as all the other week-ends since the beginning of the year (except the one of the ECS'04 ).
Next year we will do the same

Thanks to all of you, and especially Nils, Jacques & Patrice, for the great weekend. Everytime I think of the session a huge smile appears on my face! Can't wait to get back to the snow and work on my technique!

Yesterday I saw Tim in a local supermarket and I can verify that he starts smiling when he thinks about the session.

For me it is simple. Before the session I always assumed, that doing some freecarving on easy slopes was nice, but that carving the more difficult slopes was not for me. This for two reasons:
- lack of talent
- lack of training time (being Dutch and having also some other hobbies my snowtime is limited to about 8 days per year).

Thank you all for coming in such a large number and with such a good mood!
We had never seen so many harbooters, neither Swoards here in Zinal.

I was amazed to see the huge improvement made by a lot of you: when I arrived to the piste "La Corne" on Saturday morning, I saw some of you carefully testing the slope and others more reckless, having monster crashes hidden by huge snow clouds (except Edu that mastered at once). I must say that the slope is quite steep here.
On Monday, the same piste was full of furious that laid down full speed. The contrast with Saterday morning was really amazing!

In the name of the Swoard Team, I also would like to say a special thanks to Pascal Bourquin and all the Zinal resort team for their support and high quality grooming during this week-end.